The Misguided Gift
by TribeGeneral65
Summary: Blaine gets Kurt an early Christmas present to cheer him up during exams, but he made the mistake of relying on his friends for information...Klaine fluffy!


Author's Note: This is a one-shot for now but I wanted to try out the idea and I hope to use it in a full story later (when exams are over and I have time again…). It's loosely based on a similar incident in _The West Wing_. I own nothing. Enjoy!

(Blaine's POV)

Exam time isn't fun for anyone, but the usual stress must be worse when you're just getting used to a new school. Kurt seemed to be fitting in better now, and the other Warblers were warming up to him too. I'll admit he does take some getting used to; his voice, his flair, he was so much larger than life once he was free from the fear of McKinley. The other Warblers were all talented, but no one could help but feel intimidated when he first sang for us. Even I was shocked, and impressed. It killed me to tell him he didn't get the solo, especially when I knew he had seen my eyes tear up during his audition performance. I had grown quite comfortable with the tradition and espirit de corps of uniformity at Dalton, but that day I hated myself for upholding the Warbler tradition that new members had to audition at least twice before they were actually eligible for a solo. And for following the other tradition that this rule was never revealed until after the second audition.

But now that everyone was absorbed in holiday plans and nose-to-the-grindstone in exam mode, I hadn't seen Kurt as frequently. I already felt kind of bad for neglecting him when he first transferred, and now I wanted to make it up to him. He seemed to enjoy our musical study break for my rehearsal. Not that I really needed to rehearse; I'd done the same number for the last two years. But it was a convenient excuse, and I was congratulating myself for so cleverly stealing a few moments with him. I couldn't believe how totally awesome we sounded together! But the best part was getting close to him again on the couch, and seeing him smile. I hadn't really ever seen him smile like that before, and he was smiling at me! I was speechless, lost in those sparkling gray-blue eyes. Thankfully Kurt was more composed and saved me from my own embarrassment by pulling me back to reality. The snow-cold and ice-hard reality of mere friendship. Kurt had been a great friend, and he deserved more from me, so I decided I would try to make up for everything and try to show him that I cared by getting him a pre-Christmas gift.

I was sitting at my usual table in the cafeteria thinking about the perfect present for Kurt when David came up with his breakfast tray.

"Good morning, Blaine! How's it going?" he said as he plopped down across from me.

"Hmh? Oh hey David," I mumbled, snapping back to reality as fast as my sleep-deprived brain would allow before I had finished my first coffee of the day.

"What's up? You looked like you were off in space dude," David said between forkfuls of his omelet.

"Oh, I guess I was." I paused a minute, wondering whether to explain myself. But David had had my back since my first day at Dalton, so I figured he would understand. "I've been thinking of getting Kurt a little present to cheer him up for exams, but I don't know what to get him. I've got nothing so far," I lamented. "Any ideas?"

David thought a moment, sipping his orange juice with brows furrowed. "Well…the other day at lunch he said something about really liking goldfish, but I…"

"That's perfect!" Fish are supposed to help people relax, right? And they're bright and colorful just like Kurt. "There's a shop not too far away, I can go today," I exclaimed, maybe a little too excited for the early hour.

"What would you do without me?" said David proudly.

I hurried out to the pet shop as soon as my classes finished for the day. I picked out a bright orange and white goldfish and a nice little bowl and everything and got back to the dorms as soon as I could. When I pulled into the parking lot, I texted Kurt to ask if I could stop by his room.

To: Kurt

From: Blaine:

"Hey! It's Marley's ghost again…can I swing by?"

To: Blaine

From: Kurt

"Sure! I'm in my room with Charlemagne again bleh"

To: Kurt

From: Blaine

"Great! See you in 5!"

I was so excited that I knocked louder than I planned to, trying to stop the grin that was spreading across my face as I waited for Kurt to let me in.

"Hey Blaine! To what do I owe the pleasure this time? Another gig in the works?" He flashed a smile and his eyes met mine. I noticed he was in a slightly relaxed dress code for studying. He still had his shirt and tie on, but with the tie loosened and the top few buttons undone, exposing his pale, smooth neck. I had to stop myself from staring and I tried to focus on my mission.

"No, I'm not going to put you to work this time," I chuckled. "May I come in for a minute?" I was holding the fishbowl behind my back to keep it a surprise, and so far it seemed like it was working. Another victory in the pursuit of Kurt was sure to be mine!

"Of course!" Kurt grinned and turned to lead me into his room. I realized then that he was also wearing red pajama style pants when he turned. It was an unusually casual look for him, but I wasn't going to complain because it was actually pretty sexy they way they hugged his hips and…

His voice interrupted my daydream as he asked again what I was doing there and what I was hiding behind my back. "Just a little something to help you get through exams. I hope you like it." I said nervously as I revealed the fishbowl.

"That's very, uh, thoughtful Blaine," said Kurt with an adorably perplexed look. I was so disappointed that he didn't like the gift. It was supposed to be a sure-fire success! I had intelligence reports from reliable sources, the element of surprise, and carefully styled hair; what had gone wrong?

I frowned a bit and tried to explain myself. "If you don't like it, I can take it back but I didn't know what to get you and David said you liked goldfish, so I…"

"Oh, Gaga, the _crackers_!" giggled Kurt, taking the fishbowl and setting it on his desk.

"The…what?" I stammered.

Kurt was highly amused and seemed to be enjoying my confusion a bit too much. "The goldfish _crackers_, Blaine! That's what I was talking to David about. I was excited because they had some in the salad bar that day. He didn't tell you?"

No, of course he didn't tell me. I'm going to kill David the next time I see him, but I should have known he'd turn this into a little holiday prank. "No, he somehow forgot to mention that little detail…"

"Aww, well, I still like the actual fish too! Thank you, Blaine, it's very sweet of you to think of me like that," said Kurt as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a hug.

"Merry early Christmas, Kurt," I said, overcoming my initial surprise that he was actually touching me and hugging him back, drinking in the mild minty scent of his shampoo.

"Merry early Christmas to you too, Blaine," he said, squeezing me back. How could it not be a merry Christmas with a guy like this in my arms?

We stayed that way for a while, just feeling warm and happy to hold one another. Friends didn't do this, did they? Could this mean that maybe he felt a little something for me too? Then once again reality struck and my stomach growled a bit, and I realized I hadn't eaten lunch. I reluctantly pulled back from the hug and looked at Kurt. "Wanna get some dinner?"

Kurt smiled and nodded. "Just give me a minute to get dressed and I'll be right there." I obeyed and waited in the hall, trying not to let my imagination wander too far while Kurt changed out of those pajama bottoms. He emerged from the door sooner than I expected, and we went off to dinner. I hoped for David's sake that he was getting a later dinner that night, but I guess I couldn't be too mad at him after all. We were, however, definitely going to have a talk about the importance of full disclosure in the future…

Thank you for reading! Like I said, I'm hoping to work this into one of my other stories, so let me know what you think of the idea. Happy holidays!


End file.
